Balmes, Meridiana, Arnau... the pending works in Barcelona promised by Collboni

In the conference given yesterday at the DHUB on the occasion of the L'alcalde respon event, organized every year by the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, Jaume Collboni listed a series of pending investments, already started or planned for a long time, that committed to carrying out in this mandate that will conclude in the municipal elections in the spring of 2027.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
28 February 2024 Wednesday 21:54
15 Reads
Balmes, Meridiana, Arnau... the pending works in Barcelona promised by Collboni

In the conference given yesterday at the DHUB on the occasion of the L'alcalde respon event, organized every year by the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, Jaume Collboni listed a series of pending investments, already started or planned for a long time, that committed to carrying out in this mandate that will conclude in the municipal elections in the spring of 2027

Collboni referred to a Municipal Investment Plan (PIM) 2023-2027 endowed with 2,829 million euros that must come from the municipal coffers, with a large item of 1,000 million euros for actions in public spaces and another close to 800 million in proximity equipment. With this financing, the mayor of Barcelona hopes to undertake some relevant actions, some of which he carried out. They are the following and this is the previous situation from which they start.

It is Collboni's alternative to the green axes of Colau. The mayor of Barcelona believes it is possible to recover space now unused equivalent to 32 interior blocks in Eixample. In fact, shortly after assuming the mayor's office, Collboni put the number of landscaped interiors at 11 that could be rescued in 2024 and reach the figure of 30 new ones - which would be added to the fifty already existing - in this mandate and the previous one, investing in them. about 170 million euros.

The interiors of the block, which the Pasqual Maragall City Council began to open in 1987, would be complemented with pacification of streets and squares (but without repeating the model of the green axes) or the adaptation of plots of land and other disused spaces.

If the future is the electric vehicle, Barcelona still has a lot of work ahead of it. Currently there are about 1,000 charging points and the municipal government's goal is to reach 3,000 by the end of this term.

A work in stages. Currently, the reform of the avenue, which began in Plaça de las Glòries in 2018, to convert this urban highway into an authentic avenue with walking areas, wider sidewalks and bike lanes, ends at Felip II (they are about to complete the works), although the work is already planned to reach Fabra i Puig in this mandate. For later, the extension of the reform to the Sarajevo bridge is planned.

This long street that connects the first foothills of Tibibado with Ciutat Vella is another example of urban transformation by chapters. In various mandates, renovation works have been carried out on this main road in the city. 14 years have passed since in 2010, with the socialist Jordi Hereu in the mayor's office, the section between Diagonal and Aragó avenues was redeveloped. The convergent mayor Xavier Trias (2011-2015) gave it a strong boost with the execution of three more sections: Aragó-Gran Via, in the lower part, and Travessera de Gràcia-Diagonal and Plaza Molina-Travessera de Gràcia in the central part. of the street. With Ada Colau there was no continuity. The works on other streets in the city were prioritized and the section between the Molina and Joaquim Folguera squares, which Collboni now promises to finally materialize, was left locked in a drawer and its budget, at least from the Molina square to the General Miter ring road. We will have to wait much longer for the Balmes reform to reach the top, to Kennedy Square.

The old Barcelona aspiration of one day completing a seafront promenade with hardly any interruptions will be closer to becoming a reality in the near future. Yesterday, Mayor Collboni confirmed that the works on the Mar Bella promenade will be carried out. In fact, last September the executive project to build its central section was already approved in commission, from the Complex Esportiu Municipal (CEM) La Mar Bella to Josep Pla Street. The works should begin next summer and last about 22 months. The planned investment exceeds 21 million euros

One of the jewels of Paral·lel and, at the same time, a shame. This room, which dates back to 1894, closed its doors 20 years ago. Barcelona City Council acquired it in 2010 to avoid a degradation process that threatened ruin. Some shoring to prevent the structure from collapsing and little else. The expensive comprehensive rehabilitation that Arnau requires has been delaying his time in the operating room.

At times it has given the impression that the City Council has not known what to do with it (in 2017 there was even a participatory process), and so the years went by. Now Mayor Collboni has put it back on the list of pending tasks for this term.